Great toys and not so great toys.

Imaginext fire stationBrio train trackTomica hypercity train setPlaymobil car washWhiteboardBalance bike Play doh sweetie cyclone - adores this but not much interest in other play doh sets.Tool box and tool kitMarble run

Stuff that he has pretty much ignored:

Step2 play kitchen. Bloody expensive and ignored since last Christmas.Any character toy (only exception appears to be fireman Sam. Not bothered with any other character toys and they all seem so badly made)Playmobil boat (not interested, had no wheels)Mobilo - no interest in buildingMega bloks, never ever played with, not once.

We have a number of in the middle type toys that get a bit of attention occasionally but aren't played with as frequently as most loved toys, yet are still played with often enough to stop me chucking them out.

Don't see any lego on the list. DS always ignored megabloks (models seem to fall apart too much) but loved duplo at that age, now he's on the little stuff and DD has inherited the duplo stash. She's 4 at Christmas and I think it's the toy she plays with most.

She has an octonauts toy which she loves with a passion, I like it as it's nice and sturdy, generally try and avoid character stuff.

DS is 3.5 and loves:Buzz Lightyear and all toy story stuffLittle character toys he's been buying from car boot sales ( the ones you get with mcd happy meals)Happyland castle (might get him bigger castle this christmas as above mentioned characters won't fit the little castle anymore)ScooterCarsPuzzles

I was wondering about duplo but didn't know whether just to wait and go straight to lego when he turns 4?We have a few Playmobil bits and ds does like them.

Little moon I don't think the fireman Sam toys are bad at all really, yes they are a little lightweight for the price but we got them at half price so for that I think they are ok.

Olibean I think we got the car wash off amazon. I believe it is quite hard to find, it sprays real water but doesn't make a mess as the water goes back into the bottom of the car wash. Ds loves it. Maybe look on eBay if amazon no longer have them?

Thanks onlyhappy I had a look on amazon and its bit there will keep looking as he'd go mental for that! He lives the vehicles and the swimming pool and his vehicles often get a wash in the pool lol so it would be perfect!

Definately go for proper lego, a box of bricks and a couple of very small sets ( eg lightening mc queen, mater, boats, little cars etc are perfect for their attention span) would be great.

3 yr old ddLoves scooterBikePlaymobilElc kitchen and big box of play foodBox of little people and cars (being slowly replaced with playmobil but played with nearly every day for three years)Toy Hoover,lawnmower,mop etc Old fashioned little blackboard for games of naughts and crosses

Hits:Buzz, Woody, Mr Potato HeadThe Thomas the Tank train set (very simple, pull back and let go type one)The big toy kitchen has been in use every day for 2 years Fireman sam stuff, but I'm not too impressed with the qualityPlaymobil Fire engine and fire helicopter, Knights not so much.Space hopper and inflatable bouncy horse thingPlaydoh, DS2 22months LOVES thisDuploCars and garageToy musical instrumentsPlaying cardsToy mobile phones

Not so great:Vtech camera-still used occasionallyVtech Toy laptopBoard games-maybe 4.10 is too young?Buckaroo type game with Tigger-impossible to set upElefunPuzzlesAll stuffed toys except for 2 elephants